US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order classifying fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, as a weapon of mass destruction, citing the drug as a severe national security threat.
Speaking on December 15, 2025, Trump vowed intensified action against trafficking networks responsible for the opioid crisis.
“No bomb does what this is doing,” Trump said, highlighting the devastating impact of fentanyl on American families. He estimated that 200,000 to 300,000 deaths occur annually from fentanyl-related overdoses, describing the toll as unprecedented.
The President linked illicit fentanyl production and trafficking to hostile actors seeking to harm the United States.
“America’s adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the United States in part because they want to kill Americans,” he stated.
Trump cited recent seizures as evidence of progress in curbing the crisis. In May, authorities executed the largest fentanyl bust in US history, seizing three million pills, followed by another 1.7 million pills in Colorado last month. He also claimed that shipments across the southern border had fallen by 50%, attributing part of the success to cooperation from China.
While acknowledging that fentanyl has legitimate medical uses, Trump emphasized that illicit production and adulteration have transformed the drug into a lethal weapon.
“When you mix it with certain things, it becomes bad. That’s what’s taking place in Mexico,” he said.
The executive order forms part of a broader package of border and national security measures, with the administration framing drug cartels as direct threats to US safety.
The move underscores the growing focus on fentanyl as both a public health and national security concern, amid one of the deadliest opioid epidemics in US history.
